On Sale June 4
Into the Mighty Sea by Arlene Abundis |Illustrated by Cynthia Alonso |PICTURE BOOK
Mariel's family is a big POP of color! But when her tíos, tías, and cousins arrive for her hermanito's birthday party, their many besos, noises, and colors start to feel overwhelming. As Mariel's tears grow into an ocean, she paints a boat to stay afloat and dives into the mighty sea.
When an island calls to her through the swells, she discovers sights, smells, and sounds on its shores that bring back memories of the people she loves the most to guide her back home.
Beautifully illustrated and lyrically written, Into the Mighty Sea is about a girl with big emotions who learns that sometimes taking a step back can be exactly what you need.
Isabel and The Rogue by Liana de la Rosa | ADULT FICTION
Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the "forgotten" Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel's search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues--including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.
As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy's confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it's clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can't resist.
Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country--even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger...
Malas by Marcela Fuentes | ADULT FICTION
In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguirre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family.
More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father's moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town.
Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu's family's past. As the quinceañera looms--and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices--one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future.
Sumo Libre by Joe Cepeda | PICTURE BOOK
Max loves to wrestle, and thinks lucha libre is the best sport ever!
Kenji loves to wrestle, and thinks sumo wrestling is the best sport ever times 1000!
What was an enjoyable day showing off their favorite wrestling moves has now turned into a nasty disagreement. But when Max and Kenji go their separate ways, they quickly learn that wrestling is no fun by yourself. With apologies exchanged and a friendship restored, Max and Kenji turn their love of wrestling into a magical day for their neighbors.
In this exciting mash up of lucha libre and sumo wrestling, Sumo Libre teaches how to overcome differences and work together to create something special.
London on My Mind by Clara Alves | Translated by Nina Perrotta | YOUNG ADULT
Sixteen-year-old Dayana has always dreamed of visiting London -- to walk along the Thames, take pictures outside Buckingham Palace, and maybe even get a glimpse of Arthur, Prince of Wales, whose marriage has been all over tabloids. But the trip of her dreams turns into a royal nightmare when her mother passes away. Now, Day must leave Rio de Janeiro to live with her estranged father and his new family in London.
As it turns out, the U.K. isn't exactly Day's cup of tea. She struggles to forgive her father for walking out on her and her mom all those years ago; fights with her stepsister constantly; detests her stepmother; and she can't even see One Direction in concert because they've been broken up for ages. All she wants to do is trade the rainy skies of London for the sun and beaches of Rio.
That's when she runs into the girl of her dreams -- literally: The coincidentally named Diana, a witty, funny, redhead who was in the middle of . . . escaping Buckingham Palace? Something isn't right here, but it makes Diana all the more alluring. As time passes, and the two girls grow closer, Day can't help but wonder if there is more than a little truth to the rumors surrounding Prince Arthur -- and if Diana might be involved somehow. Is it all in her head, or could Day be caught up in a real-life royal scandal?
Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp | Illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández | PICTURE BOOK
As the blush of sunset gives way to night in the desert, coyotes, cicadas, and barn owls emerge, each calling out to the moon. Watching from their porch, the family joins the song. One by one, each relative offers their drums, flute, maracas, strings, and voices.
They sing with the insects, birds, snakes and toads; and they sing with their ancestors, an audience glittering in the stars overhead. With each strum of passed-down instruments, memories renew, and those gone are alive and near again.
Desert Song hums and chimes with all the music a front porch and the desert beyond can hold. Pura Belpré Honor author Laekan Zea Kemp's masterfully stirring text dances through Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez's enchanting and dynamic artwork. Readers will be left with the soothing sense that when creativity flourishes, the past is never out of reach, and the bonds that matter never break.
Cesaria Feels the Beat by Denise Rosario Adusei |Illustrated by Priscila Soares | PICTURE BOOK
Cesaria is going to perform for the seaside Carnival. She skips past the beach barefoot, dressed in her favorite peacock leotard.
But when her dance director tells her she must put on her shoes to go on stage, Cesaria signs, "Peacocks don't wear shoes!"
You see, Cesaria hears the music through the soles of her feet, but no one seems to understand...
...That is, until all the dancers take off their shoes, and learn to feel the music, just like Cesaria.
Cesaria Feels the Beat is a lyrical and heartfelt story about deafness, community, and Carnival.
Abuelo's Flower Shop by Jackie Morera | Illustrated by Deise Lino | PICTURE BOOK
Elena is finally old enough to sell flowers with her abuelo in his shop. But she notices that many of the people who visit have tears in their eyes. Abuelo tells her the shop is the last stop before people visit the garden beyond the gate. A place for telling the ones you've loved and lost, "Te recuerdo y te extraño," I remember you, and I miss you.
Tender and insightful, Abuelo's Flower Shop celebrates the beauty of intergenerational love while gently teaching readers about grieving the loss of a loved one. Grandparents and grandchildren will delight in Elena and Abuelo's heartfelt relationship, and readers of all ages will be inspired to find their own ways to say, "I remember you, and I miss you." This thoughtful story is the perfect resource for navigating difficult conversations about grief.
My Body Is Paper: Stories and Poems by Gil Cuadros | SHORT STORIES AND POETRY
Since City of God (1994) by Gil Cuadros was published 30 years ago, it has become an unlikely classic (an "essential book of Los Angeles" according to the LA Times), touching readers and writers who find in his work a singular evocation of Chicanx life in Los Angeles during and leading up to the AIDS epidemic, which took his life in 1996. Little did we know, Cuadros continued writing exuberant prose and poems in the period between his one published book and his untimely death at the age of 34. This recently discovered treasure, My Body Is Paper, is a stunning portrait of sex, family, religion, culture of origin, and the betrayals of the body. Tender and blistering, erotic and spiritual--Cuadros dives into these complexities which we grapple with today, showing us how to survive these times, and beyond.
Blood in the Cut by Alejandro Nodarse | ADULT FICTION
Iggy Guerra is out of prison, but his homecoming is anything but smooth. His beloved mother is gone, his grief-stricken father Armando is deep in debt, and they are about to lose the butcher shop that has been in their family for generations.
Iggy must earn his father's lost trust in order to save La Carnicería Guerra from the threats imposed by a new rival business, a vigilante activist, and big-game hunter Orin, who has dragged Armando into his dangerous money-making schemes deep in the Everglades, where more than secrets are buried. Iggy will wrestle with the beauty and the danger of the place he calls home as he tries to save his family--without losing himself forever.
Sharp as a butcher knife gleaming in the Miami sun, Alejandro Nodarse's Blood in the Cut opens onto a deeply personal vision of the streets and swamps of Miami, where the roots are crooked but strong as mangroves.
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron | ADULT FICTION
In the tumultuous town of Yáquimo, Santo Domingo, Jacquotte Delahaye is an unknown but up-and-coming shipwright. Her dreams are bold but her ambitions are bound by the confines of her life with her self-seeking French father. When her way of life and the delicate balance of power in the town are threatened, she is forced to flee her home and become a woman on the run along with a motley crew of refugees, including a mysterious young woman named Teresa.
Jacquotte and her band become indentured servants to the infamous Blackhand, a ruthless pirate captain who rules his ship with an iron fist. As they struggle to survive his brutality, Jacquotte finds herself unable to resist Teresa despite their differences. When Blackhand hatches a dangerous scheme to steal a Portuguese shipment of jewels, Jacquotte must rely on her wits, resourcefulness, and friends to survive. But she discovers there is a grander, darker scheme of treachery at play, and she ultimately must decide what price she is willing to pay to secure a better future for them all.
Role Play by Clara Drummond | Translated by Daniel Hahn | ADULT FICTION
Vivian is a curator, not just at her gallery gig in Rio de Janeiro, but in every aspect of her life. Her apartment has designer armchairs. Her wallet is Comme des Garçons. Everything is selected and arranged, even her lovers and friends. In Vivian's world, everything comes in excess, including her own caustic selfawareness. As she informs us, "I'm a misandrist and a misogynist," but she is fond of gay men, "the one type of human you can properly get along with as equals."
Role Playexamines the superabundances of Brazilian elites-- their art, ethics, and monied ambivalence in the face of social inequality, machismo, and violence. As sharp and sparkling as broken champagne flutes, Clara Drummond's prose is seductively frank and unflinching in its depiction of wealth's power to warp the self.
The Truth about Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers by Zeke Hernandez | ADULT NONFICTION
In The Truth About Immigration, Wharton professor Zeke Hernandez draws from nearly 20 years of research to answer all the big questions about immigration. He combines moving personal stories with rigorous research to offer an accessible, apolitical, and evidence-based look at how newcomers affect our local communities and our nation. You'll learn about the overlooked impact of immigrants on investment and job creation; realize how much we take for granted the novel technologies, products, and businesses newcomers create; get the facts straight about perennial concerns like jobs, crime, and undocumented immigrants; and gain new perspectives on misunderstood issues such as the border, taxes, and assimilation.
Most books making a case for immigration tell you that immigration is good for immigrants. This book is all about how newcomers benefit you, your community, and your country. Skeptics fear that newcomers compete economically with locals because of their similarities and fail to socially assimilate because of their differences. You'll see that it's exactly the opposite: newcomers bring enduring economic benefits because of their differences and contribute positively to society because of their similarities. Destined to become the go-to book on one of the most important issues of our time, this book turns fear into hope by proving a simple truth: immigrants are essential for economically prosperous and socially vibrant nations.
On Sale June 11
Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco
The Rarámuri people of Chihuahua, Mexico, make up one of the largest Indigenous tribes of North America. Renowned for maintaining their language and cultural traditions in the face of colonization, they have weathered numerous hardships--climate disaster, poverty, cultural erasure--that have only worsened during the twenty-first century.
Based on more than a decade of oral history and participatory field work, Out of the Sierra paints a vivid and vital portrait of Rarámuri displacement. When drought leaves the Gutiérrez family with nothing to eat, they are faced with the choice many Rarámuris must make: remain and hope for rain and aid, or leave their sacred homeland behind. Luis, Martina, and their children choose to journey from their home in the Sierra Madre mountains toward a new and uncertain future in a government-funded Indigenous settlement.
Victoria Blanco considers Indigenous identity with tenderness and intelligence, demanding recognition and justice for the Rarámuri people as they resist assimilation and uphold traditional knowledge in the face of broken systems. In a narrative of unprecedented access and intimacy, Out of the Sierra offers a groundbreaking testimony to human resilience and the power of community.
Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez by Belen Medina | Illustrated by Natalia Rojas Castro | PICTURE BOOK
From the copper canyons of Mexico, her swift footsteps echo. Clip clap, clip clap.
Experience a sixty-mile run with Indigenous athlete Lorena Ramírez. She runs in the traditional clothes of the Rarámuri, "the light-footed people," to show that her people and their way of life are alive and thriving--outpacing runners in modern, high-tech gear and capturing the world's attention. Lorena's career as an athlete is an inspiring real-life example of the power of perseverance that will encourage young readers to follow their own dreams.
Brownstone by Samuel Teer | Illustrated by Mar Julia | GRAPHIC NOVEL
Almudena has always wondered about the dad she never met.
Now, with her white mother headed on a once-in-a-lifetime trip without her, she's left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish--which she doesn't speak.
As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier's Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can't understand why she doesn't know where she comes from. Others think she's "not brown enough" to fit in.
But time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, and the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together. Fixing a broken building is one thing, but turning these stubborn individuals into a found family might take more than this one summer.
The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza | ADULT FICTION
Ernesto Vega has lived many lives, from pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote, yet he has always worn a mask. He was discovered by a local lucha libre trainer at a time when luchadores--Mexican wrestlers donning flamboyant masks and capes--were treated as daredevils or rock stars. Ernesto found fame, rapidly gaining name rec-ognition across Mexico, but at great expense, nearly costing him his marriage to his wife Elena.
Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father's gym while Freddy's own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.
With alternating perspectives, Ernesto and Elena take you from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes life in the suburban streets of 1980s Los Angeles and the community their family built, as Julian descends deep into our present-day culture of hook-up apps, lucha burlesque shows, and the dark underbelly of West Hollywood. The Sons of El Rey is an intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.
As the Seas Rise: Nicole Hernández Hammer and the Fight for Climate Justice by Angela Quezada Padron | PICTURE BOOK
As a baby, Nicole survived an earthquake in Guatemala. She grew up in Guatemala's beautiful jungles. Throughout her life, Nicole witnessed the power and wonder of nature. But she soon realized nature was in trouble. Her own community in Florida was struggling. And everyone needed to become resilient.
In this lyrical biography, readers will meet environmental scientist and climate activist Nicole Hernández Hammer and hear the message she's spent her career sharing: As we look to the future, we can empower and protect our communities. But that will only be possible if we all work together--including the smallest of us.
Abuela's Library by Lissette Norman | Illustrated by Jayri Gómez | PICTURE BOOK
Alfonso and Abuela love to spend Saturday afternoons finding books at the library and reading them together beneath their favorite oak tree. But when their beloved tree is cut down, can Alfonso transform the stump into something magical for their whole community--their very own neighborhood library?
This uplifting story from award-winning poet Lissette Norman and illustrator Jayri Gómez shows us how to turn an unexpected setback into a happy ending: one with a beautiful sky-blue door and shelves filled with books for everyone to enjoy.
Vega's Piece of the Sky by Jennifer Torres | MIDDLE GRADE
A meteorite comes crashing down on the lives of three middle schoolers changing everything they know about family, friendships, and community in this charming and heartfelt novel with a light STEM touch.
The space rock is just the latest thing to land, uninvited, in Vega Lucero’s road-stop hometown. But when she discovers how much a chunk of the meteorite might be worth, she realizes it’s exactly the treasure she’s been hoping to find—and maybe a way to convince her mom not to sell the family store to big city developers to help pay for her grandpa Tata’s medical expenses.
Determined to find more pieces of the sky somewhere in the perilous desert wilderness, stubbornly independent Vega must set aside her distrust of outsiders to team up with Jasper, a would-be rival—and her own tagalong cousin Mila—on an overnight adventure to find more meteorites before the professional hunters who have descended on Date City do. But along the way, she realizes that she’s not the only one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Jasper and Mila have secrets and worries of their own that has brought them on this journey.
Hearts of Fire and Snow by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall | YOUNG ADULT
Blanca Montes wants to make a difference in the world, to do more than her wealthy godfather and spoiled boyfriend think her capable of. So when Greg Chan shows up as a new student at her Nevada school, she is more than intrigued by this handsome, brilliant stranger.
But Greg and Blanca are drawn to each other by something stronger--their fates entwined centuries ago. In his first life, Greg was Captain Popoca, and Blanca is the reincarnation of Princess Iztac, who took her own life after believing her beloved Popoca was sent to his death in battle. Greg has spent a thousand years searching for his lost love, and now the fates have given them one more chance to reunite. Will their hearts finally beat as one?
The Mango Tree (La Mata de Mango) by Edel Rodriguez | PICTURE BOOK
In a quiet village on a small island, two boys spend their days in a mango tree. High above the rest of the world, they play, take naps in the shade, and eat mangoes together. But after a huge storm sweeps one boy out into unknown waters, he finds himself alone in a strange new land, where everything is different and unfamiliar.
In this poignant, personal story, internationally celebrated Cuban American artist Edel Rodriguez brings to life his childhood experience as an immigrant to the US. Taking readers on a fantastical journey into the unknown, The Mango Tree (La mata de mango) is a tale of new experiences, the bonds that connect us to home, and a friendship that endures across time and borders.
The Afterlife of Mal Caldera by Nadi Reed Perez | ADULT FICTION
Mal's life is over. Her afterlife is only just beginning...
By turns irreverently funny and deeply moving, this debut contemporary fantasy is perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
Mal Caldera--former rockstar, retired wild-child and excommunicated black sheep of her Catholic family--is dead. Not that she cares. She only feels bad that her younger sister, Cris, has been left to pick up the pieces Mal left behind. While her fellow ghosts party their afterlives away at an abandoned mansion they call the Haunt, Mal is determined to make contact with Cris from beyond the grave.
She enlists the help of a reluctant local medium, Ren, and together, they concoct a plan to pass on a message to Cris. But the more time they spend together, the more they begin to wonder what might have been if they'd met before Mal died.
Mal knows it's wrong to hold on so tightly to her old life. Bad things happen to ghosts who interfere with the living, and Mal can't help wondering if she's hurting the people she loves by hanging around, haunting their lives. But Mal has always been selfish, and letting go might just be the hardest thing she's ever had to do.
My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales | Illustrated by C. G. Esperanza | PICTURE BOOK
In the early hours before dawn, a young girl and her father greet their horses and ride together through the waking city streets. As they trot along, Daddy tells cowboy stories filled with fun and community, friendship, discovery, and pride. Seeing her city from a new vantage point and feeling seen in a new way, the child discovers that she too is a cowboy--strong and confident in who she is.
Thoughtfully and lyrically written by debut author Stephanie Seales, with vibrant illustrations from award-winning artist C. G. Esperanza, this beautiful picture book is a celebration of Black joy, outdoor play, and quality time spent between child and parent.
On Sale June 18
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima | ADULT FICTION
At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and she writes stories for him about things that are both impossible and true.
Lima lures readers into surreal pockets of the United States and Brazil where they'll find bite-size Americans in vending machines and the ghosts of people who are not dead. Once there, she speaks to modern Brazilian-American immigrant experiences-of ambition, fear, longing, and belonging--and reveals the porousness of storytelling and of the places we call home.
Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park by María Dolores Águila |Illustrated by Magdalena Mora | PICTURE BOOK
Barrio Logan, one of San Diego's oldest Chicane neighborhoods, once brimmed with families and stretched all the way to the glorious San Diego Bay. But in the decades after WWII, the community lost their beach and bayfront to factories, junkyards, and an interstate that divided the neighborhood and forced around 5,000 people out of their homes. Then on April 22, 1970, residents discovered that the construction crew they believed was building a park--one the city had promised them years ago--was actually breaking ground for a police station. That's when they knew it was time to make their voices heard. Barrio Rising invites readers to join a courageous young activist and her neighbors in their successful twelve-day land occupation and beyond, when Barrio Logan banned together and built the colorful park that would become the corazón of San Diego's Chicane community.
On Sale June 25
Who Is Bad Bunny? by G. M. Taboas Zayas and Who Hq series | Illustrated by Andrew Thomson | PICTURE BOOK
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is one of today's most popular artists. He made his start posting his music on Soundcloud, and in 2016, his song "Diles" got him signed to a major record label. Since then, Bad Bunny has performed at Coachella and collaborated with superstars like Cardi B, J Balvin, and Drake. Breaking language barriers, Bad Bunny is now one of the top streamed artists internationally on Spotify. Bad Bunny is just getting started with his music takeover, having won 3 Grammys and 10 Billboard Music Awards. Not only that, Bad Bunny is heavily involved in activism spaces and even wrestles professionally! Learn more about Bad Bunny and his diverse career in this illustrated biography for young readers.
Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez | ADULT FICTION
In this groundbreaking novel, Santiago Jose Sanchez plunges us into the heart of one boy's life. His mother takes him and his brother from Colombia to America, leaving their absent father behind but essentially disappearing herself once they get to Miami.
In America, his mother works as a waitress when she was once a doctor. The boy embraces his queer identity as wholeheartedly as he embraces his new home, but not without a sense of loss. As he grows, his relationship with his mother becomes fraught, tangled, a love so intense that it borders on vivid pain but is also the axis around which his every decision revolves. She may have once forgotten him, disappeared, but she is always on his mind.
He moves to New York, ducking in and out of bed with different men as he seeks out something, someone, to make him whole again. When his mother invites him to visit family in Colombia with her, he returns to the country as a young man, trying to find peace with his father, with his homeland, with who he's become since he left, and with who his mother is: finally we come to know her and her secrets, her complex ambivalence and fierce love.
Loose Threads by Isol | Illustrated by Lawrence Schimel | PICTURE BOOK
Young Leilah lives in an idyllic village, where everything has its place. It's as beautiful and perfect as the scenes in her grandmother's embroidery. But some believe that just on the flipside of this orderly town lies the Other Side--a messy and wild world, filled with merry inhabitants and strange beasts, a peculiar world that Leilah often visits in her dreams.
So when Leilah's mom has had enough of her daughter constantly losing her things, Leilah comes up with a plan: her lost possessions must be falling down into the Other Side, and so all she has to do to fix things is mend the holes appearing in her world. It's a genius idea, and nothing will ever go missing again! But Leilah will soon learn that some loose threads don't need to be sewn up, and that keeping things in can also mean shutting things out...
Inspired by Palestinian embroidery and one of her favorite shawls, Isol spins a tale that celebrates the different sides that are all part of life's rich tapestry.
Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil by Ana Crespo |Illustrated by André Ceolin | PICTURE BOOK
Saudade is a Portuguese and Galician word with no perfect translation to English; it's a strong, melancholy longing for something you once had. Hiking in the hills, a little girl and her Brazilian immigrant mother contemplate what makes them feel saudade. A cool salty breeze miles from the ocean; the smell of Mamãe's perfume; memories of playing with cousins under trees or waterfalls, riding waves with grandparents who are now stuck in the square of a video call.
Though deeply woven through Brazilian music and literature, saudade is a familiar companion to us all. Readers who live far from loved ones or have adopted new homes will especially connect with this exploration of nostalgia and yearning.
The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga | Translated by Kevin Gerry Dunn | ADULT FICTION
Growing up on a Cuba-esque Caribbean island, Casandra, Calia, and Caleb endure life under two tyrannies: that of their parents, and the Island's authoritarian dictator, Pop-Pop Mustache. Papa was the dictator's former right-hand man. Now, he's a political pariah and an ugly parody of a tyrant, treating his home as a nation which he rules with an iron fist. As for Mom, his wife and hateful second in command, she rules from the mind. Obsessed with armchair psychoanalysis, she spends her days reading self-help books and seeks to diagnose the kids, and perhaps even herself.
But within these walls, a rebellion is fomenting. Casandra, a cynical, self-important teenager with the most unlikely of attractions, recruits Caleb, meek yet gifted with a deadly touch, to join her in an insurrection against their father's arbitrary totalitarianism. Meanwhile, Calia, the silent, youngest sibling who just wants to be left alone to draw animals, may be in league with the flies--whose swarm in and around the house grows larger as Papa's violence increases.
